Headstart Nursery

Headstart Nursery Darenth Lane, SOUTH OCKENDON, Essex, RM15 5LY

p.1

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 21 April 2016 Not applicable

p.1

3

Effectiveness of the leadership and management Requires improvement Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement Outcomes for children Requires improvement

p.1

This provision requires improvement. It is not yet good because:

 The quality of teaching and activities provided are variable. Staff supervision is not sharply focused on what aspects of practice can be improved to further raise the quality and consistency of teaching.  Staff do not consistently make best use of children's interests and activities to challenge and extend their learning.  The two-way flow of information with parents is not yet fully established. Staff do not always encourage parents to contribute their own views towards children's ongoing learning and assessment in the setting.  The manager is not using self-evaluation effectively to identify key priorities in order to drive improvements in the setting more swiftly.

p.1

It has the following strengths

 Daily risk assessments are carried out by all staff to ensure areas accessed by children are safe and any hazards are quickly identified and removed. Staff are diligent in their supervision of the children and staffing ratios are met at all times.  Parents speak positively about the nursery. They feel their children are safe and well cared for.  Staff spend time making sure that all children settle well. The warm, caring staff team build secure relationships with children who learn to behave well.  Children's physical and emotional well-being are promoted well. Staff provide plentiful opportunities for children to enjoy fresh air and exercise which contribute towards a healthy lifestyle.

p.1

What the setting needs to do to improve further

To meet the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage the provider must:

p.2

Due Date

 implement effective professional development and supervision arrangements to raise the quality and consistency of teaching across the nursery 31/05/2016

p.2

Due Date

 improve the two-way flow of information with parents, encouraging them to contribute to their children's ongoing learning and assessment in the setting and supporting their learning at home. 31/05/2016

p.2

Due Date

To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

p.2

Due Date

 strengthen arrangements for evaluating the nursery provision, seeking the views of staff and parents, in order to identify and prioritise areas for improvement  make better use of children's interests and abilities to provide more challenge and extension to promote their engagement and learning, supported by the improved provision of resources.

p.2

Inspection activities

 We carried out this inspection as a result of a risk assessment following information we received from the provider.  The inspector observed teaching and learning in the indoor and outdoor learning environment.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector checked evidence of staff suitability and qualifications.  The inspector took account of the views of children, staff and parents spoken to on the day of the inspection.

p.2

Effectiveness of the leadership and management requires improvement

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Staff understand what action to take if they are concerned about the welfare of a child in their care. Following a recent incident when a child was able to move a fence panel in the garden, the provider took immediate action to ensure children's safety and welfare. Risk assessments have been reviewed and the fence panel has been replaced. Staff maintain suitable records of observations and assessments of children's progress and development. However, the staff team do not always provide parents with detailed information about children's progress and next steps in learning. Parents do not always have the information they need to support their children's learning at home. The managers have yet to introduce a system of monitoring the quality of teaching to identify aspects of teaching that require further training. This means the quality of teaching is variable and is not yet sufficiently strong enough to

p.3

Effectiveness of the leadership and management requires improvement

ensure all children make good progress. The managers have started to evaluate nursery practice, but this does not fully involve staff and parents in driving improvement.

p.3

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

Staff do not use their knowledge and skills consistently to extend learning opportunities for children. Activities do not always provide sufficient challenge and some learning opportunities are missed. For example, children engage in cornflour play, as it is a favourite activity, but are not sufficiently stimulated to gain further benefits from this experience. Staff do not recognise when to ask additional questions to help children develop their thinking and language skills. In addition, the lack of resources at some activities means that children do not have appropriate support to extend their learning. Staff introduce some mathematical concepts, such as comparing the height of building bricks.

p.3

Personal development, behaviour and welfare require improvement

Children are generally happy and settled. Staff provide a welcoming environment. Children are greeted warmly as they enter the nursery. Staff use this as an opportunity to talk to parents, mainly focusing on children's care needs. Children are taught to share and take turns during their play. Staff help children to become independent in managing their personal needs. Care practices are sound and children display growing levels of confidence and emotional well-being. The key-person system is effective. Routines are planned to take account of children's individual needs for feeding and sleeping. This supports children as they begin to develop a sense of belonging and embrace new experiences with growing confidence.

p.3

Outcomes for children require improvement

Children are beginning to recognise some letter sounds and numbers. Staff support the older children as they begin to learn about the letters in their name and how to write them. As a result, children are learning some of the skills they will need when they move onto school. Children generally work within the expected range of development for their ages. However, variances in teaching mean that children do not make the best possible progress in their learning.

p.3

Setting details

Unique reference number EY494201 Local authority Thurrock Inspection number 1048034 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Age range of children 1 - 4 Total number of places 34 Number of children on roll 48 Name of provider Headstart Partnership Date of previous inspection Not applicable Telephone number 07811830713

p.4

Setting details

Headstart Nursery was registered in 2015 and is one of three settings operated by Headstart Partnership. The nursery employs nine members of childcare staff, all of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 or level 4. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 7.30am until 7pm. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

p.4

Setting details

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and care, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.

p.4

Setting details

procedures set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

p.4

Setting details

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/, write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.5

Setting details

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our website for news, information and updates at www.ofsted.gov.uk/user.

p.5

Setting details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

p.5